Ultimate Fight Night IV Preview

Previews

ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT COUNTDOWN


Only four of the nine scheduled fights on Ultimate Fight Night 4 will be televised, so I’m going to restrict my preview to the main card.

  • Stephan Bonnar vs. Keith Jardine

TUF 1’s Penultimate Fighter Stephan Bonnar has been busy making a name for himself in UFC, namely on Ultimate Fight Night programs. Bonnar defeated TUF 1’s Sam Hoger at the first UFN, and upset James Irvin in the first round at UFN 3. TUF 2’s Keith Jardine defeated Kerry Schall at the TUF 2 finale, and had a win over fellow TUF 2 member Mike Whitehead on the undercard of UFC 57. Despite Jardine’s drop from Heavyweight to Light Heavyweight, these two are pretty evenly matched. This could be an all out war, but Bonnar is very unpredictable, so we could see a quick finish. Prediction: Bonnar, via submission in the 2nd.

  • Rashad Evans vs. Sam Hoger

TUF 2 Heavyweight winner Rashad Evans is currently 6-0, after his TUF 2 finale win over Brad Imes. Evans didn’t impress me at first, but he got better as the season went on. He always seemed better suited for Light Heavyweight competition, and now he’ll put it to the test in his UFN debut against TUF 1 asshole extraordinaire Sam Hoger. The 6-1 Hoger has never really impressed me, but he does have solid submission skills. As long as Evans keeps this fight on his feet, he shouldn’t have much trouble with Hoger. Prediction: Evans, via decision.

  • Joe Stevenson vs. Josh Neer

TUF 2 Welterweight winner Joe Stevenson is 24-6, after his TUF 2 finale win over Luke Cummo. Stevenson is a submission artist, but has shown he has some stand-up game. The 16-3-1 Josh Neer is well versed in both striking and submissions, and is no stranger to TUF competitors. Neer holds a win of TUF 2’s Melvin Guillard at UFN 3. There’s no doubt that Neer has skills, but Joe Stevenson is a f*cking animal. Prediction: Stevenson, via submission in the 1st.

  • Chris Leben vs. Luigi Fioravanti

TUF 1’s Chris Leben has won four in a row in UFC since his official debut with the company at the TUF 1 finale. The 14-1 “Cat Smasher” is looking is looking to take out 6-0 Luigi Fioravanti, who is making his UFC debut. This one will be over before it starts. Prediction: Leben, via KO in the 1st.

Ultimate Fight Night 4 airs live on Spike TV this Thursday, beginning at 8pm (EST), and is immediately followed at 10pm by the debut of The Ultimate Fighter 3. Make sure you check out Shelly’s preview of this season’s fighters.

Look for results immediately following the event, and my thoughts on the aftermath of Ultimate Fight Night next week.

OFFICIAL CARD FOR UFC 59: REALITY CHECK

  • Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia
  • Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin
  • Evan Tanner vs. Justin Levens
  • Nick Diaz vs. Sean Sherk
  • Jeff Monson vs. Marcio Cruz
  • David Terrell vs. Scott Smith
  • Derrick Noble vs. Thiago Alves
  • Karo Parisyan vs. Nick Thompson
  • Jason Lambert vs. Terry Martin

Derrick Noble is replacing Drew Fickett, who was forced to pull out on Thursday due to a rib injury.

Look for my full preview and shitty predictions next week.

UFC GETS NEW CFO

From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Wall Street gaming analyst John Mulkey will join Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship as the organization’s chief financial officer, it was announced Tuesday.

Mulkey, who analyzed publicly traded gaming and lodging companies for the past five years, is a Las Vegas native. Joining the UFC allows Mulkey to move from Charlotte, N.C., where he has spent the past year with Wachovia Securities. Mulkey had spent four years as a Bear Stearns gaming analyst.

The move marked the second high-profile hire by the professional mixed martial arts sporting organization. Last week, Marc Ratner, resigned as executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission to become a UFC vice president.

Station Casinos executives Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta own UFC separately from the gaming company.

Here’s my suggestion for the company’s next hire: someone that will hook UFC up with a video game developer that doesn’t suck ass. It’s time for a good UFC game, damnit. The Tap Out games for Xbox were pathetic, and Sudden Impact for the PS2 stunk on ice. We need a next gen UFC game that’s on par with EA’s Fight Night series or WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006 (minus the gimmicky shit).

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU

I was going to take a break for a few weeks, because I closed on a new house on Thursday, but there’s no rest for the wicked. There’s too much going on right now for me to bail, so I’ll be back next week.

Oh, but before I go, I’ll leave you with this…

Fuck yeah.